Hello again, everyone! This week's attempt at TCB comments of the week has a lot more comments, and a lot less Chron. I took a different approach to gathering them this week and ended up with a lot more material. I didn't interject quite as much this week, allowing the comments to really speak for themselves. I've added a few parts strictly to help you understand the context, and because sometimes I can't help myself. Next week I think I'll also track "follow-up" comments of the week--meaning best response to someone else's original comment. So stay tuned.
Stephen Naron @stephennaron
Carlos Lee said to be ecstatic at news he could be placed on wafers today….. Requested vanilla.
In Luhnow we trust!
by orangeblood kid on Jul 31, 2012 9:57 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs
so i worked all day and this is how i wanna relax and spend my evening which some might consider sad
TV- Astros game
Laptop- OKC with no sound
Speakers- Legends game
with gameday open on the CC game
Yea i like baseball lol
Go Astros and Go Texans
by astrosfan1989 on Jul 30, 2012 5:19 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I dont know why, but the idea of Schafer doing his best Shaggy impression keeps popping into my head…Ga-Ga-Ga-Ga-Ghost!!!
by Its Gonna Happen on Jul 30, 2012 5:53 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Yoni Pollak @YoniPollak
I’m reporting the Astros are likely not the team that just acquired Reed Johnson. No word on Soto yet.
In Luhnow we trust!
by orangeblood kid on Jul 30, 2012 7:46 PM PDT reply actions
It seems a bit smarter to me for them at some point in 2 to 4 years to try to use their newly found prospect depth to acquire major league pieces with favorable contract terms to fill out the roster gaps moving forward, instead of attempting to do the same via the free agent route. Or at least a mix of those two things. With prospect depth you have a commodity that many other organizations won’t possess and will covet, whereas in the free agent pathway you are bidding against teams who also have money and that drives up the cost of the players to be obtained.
by reillocity on Jul 30, 2012 8:24 PM PDT up reply actions
CJ has 4 RBI's. Not a good trade. We would have won tonite. Boy, do we suck!
by CoachD11 on Jul 30, 2012 9:24 PM PDT reply actions
Well the Cubs didnt give up much. They sent Andrew Casher, 25 year old relief/starting pitcher and a low level out fielder. We could have gave up something for him around that.
by jimbo0488 on Jul 30, 2012 10:46 PM PDT up reply actions
-- Huh?
and Romo gives up game tying 2 run HR to Hairston
is that Mr. Sabean calling Luhnow?
Ring Ring
Luhnow: Yes, how can I help you
Mr. Sabean: I need some relievers. Even yours are better than mine. I need some Lopez.
Luhnow: How about Francisco Cordero. He had a lot of saves a few years ago.
Mr. Sabean: What will it cost me?
Luhnow: Just a belt
Mr. Sabean: That’s it?
Luhnow: Yep! Send it to the league office, I’ll sign off on it!
Mr. Sabean: Great, we should do this more often!
Luhnow: Yes we shall
Tomorrow Morning
Ring Ring
Luhnow: Yes Mr. Sabean, want to do another trade? I do like Gary Brown.
Mr. Sabean: No thanks! WTF did u just get me to do? I never agreed to trade Brandon Belt for Cordero?!?
Luhnow: Yes you did. I said a belt, you said yes, and you signed off on it. Your fault
Mr. Sabean: Grrrr……
Hangs Up
Luhnow’d!
Writer at http://thesleeperpick.wordpress.com/
You can follow me @YoniPollak
by EveryHoustonTeamRox! on Jul 30, 2012 9:59 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
Interesting how the Marlins trade for a guy, but absolutely detest him less than a month later. Who’s running the Marlins these days, Richard Justice?
Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it. - Henry Ford
by BustaPozee on Jul 31, 2012 6:20 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Walk rates don’t tell the whole story about a pitcher, but it’s a start. Lower walk rates are indicative of a pitcher’s control, but are not indicative of a pitcher’s command, whether stellar or terrible. So we don’t know if a pitcher is lobbing stuff down the middle, or painting the corners with pitches landing in the catcher’s glove with the degree of accuracy needed to propel a spacecraft to Mars. But, what the study does show is a general correlation that pitchers who walk less batters tend to have better careers in the majors. But even with 20% increase in success, it’s not a very reliable stat.
I’d like to see a bigger study done in the future, maybe by seeing how well pitchers can command their pitches and seeing if pitcher command correlates to mlb success at a much higher degree of precision than BB rates does. There are downfalls since it’s not like MiLB stadiums have PitchFX cameras on hand, but there could be huge promise here if command is a much better indicator of mlb succes than the pure stuff a pitcher has.
As I know it, scouts don’t currently chart the distance of where a pitch ends up verses where the catcher sets up. Maybe there’s something Jeff Luhnow and his crew know that other GMs don’t? For all we know, that Blue Jays trade could end up a major steal.
Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it. - Henry Ford
by BustaPozee on Jul 31, 2012 7:47 AM PDT reply actions
If Carlos Lee is released, should the Astros claim him? They are paying him either way.
by Gonstro on Jul 31, 2012 12:14 PM PDT reply actions
I like the way our prospects are playing multiple positions
Paredes playing LF tonight makes him more valuable to the club. Even if he doesn’t have a starting job in the MLB he could be used like Craig, Descalso, and Shumaker. Could end up getting 5 starts a week at different positions. Super utility guys can be very valuable like those mentioned before although I think in Paredes’ case he profiles more as a Zobrist type player.
by wdh001 on Jul 31, 2012 5:26 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
And when you lose 110 games...then I give you permission to die...
by linkxmalon on Jul 31, 2012 8:23 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Talking about DDJ... I am thinking with the Boxes in left he could hit 15 -20 homers on a good year
He is my favorite player in the system
In Luhnow we trust!
by orangeblood kid on Jul 31, 2012 9:21 PM PDT up reply actions
-- Didn't Ed Wade say the same thing about Pedro Feliz? Not saying you're wrong, I'm just sure I've heard that before...
Lyles definitely needs more time before we give up on him. Right now it seems like he’s just pitching like a young pitcher. He will be cruising some early in games and then just be unable to avoid the big inning. I think that’s something that he can figure out eventually, and he needs to be in the majors to figure that out. Lucky for the Astros they can give him that opportunity because they just aren’t very good right now.
It would have been nice if he would have had more minors time to work on his curveball command, but I don’t think that would benefit him anymore now.
Right now his fastball velocity is average, curveball is inconsistent, slider/cutter is decent and changeup is decent but he doesn’t use either pitch that often. That’s a very nice assortment of weapons and if he can improve command of all of those weapons than he could be someone to watch.
I hate mentioning this because what’s done is done, but I think Lyles could have been a pitcher that would find success working with Brad Arnsberg. Arnsbergs preparation and gameplan’s would seem to mesh well with Lyles who is a pitcher that doesn’t just blow hitters away. Lyles mentioned earlier in the year how much he learned at OKC under the tutliledge of Burt Hooten. He’s still at an impressionable age so hopefully he can hook up with another wise pitching coach and benefit from that.
by conroestro on Aug 1, 2012 6:41 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
I have seen some people post about how is power isnt there and they arent sure if he will have alot of power in the pros. Just for comparison Miguel Cabrera at 19 in A+ hit 9 homers the whole season. The next season at AA at the age of 20 he hit 10 homers in about 70 games. That was his high in the minors.
Singleton has hit 14 homers in 103 games in AA at the age of 20. That is one homer every 7.3 games. Cabrera in AA was hitting one homer every 7 games. Pretty close there when it comes to there power.
by jimbo0488 on Aug 2, 2012 9:58 AM PDT reply actions
For the future, I think the Astros should hire women to try and get pregnant by famous 3rd basemen like Boggs, Rolen, Chipper, George Brett, then ship them off to a secret training facility in Ireland to let their kids develop into great players. Then sign them as international free agents. Nobody scouts in Ireland. :)
by caveman8fb on Aug 2, 2012 8:42 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
--excellent idea
On the Astros off day...
The Astros don’t lose today!
by Astrosforever on Aug 2, 2012 6:11 PM PDT reply actions
Shouldn’t Altuve be an ewok?
by doorknob47 on Aug 3, 2012 4:39 PM PDT reply actions
Marc Krauss
_In da House!
Marc Krauss
_Like a grouse!!!:
Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it. - Henry Ford
by BustaPozee on Aug 5, 2012 5:02 PM PDT reply actions
If you're trying to dodge a pee test
Tweeting pictures of your munchies cravings isn’t the best way to go about it!
by Its Gonna Happen on Aug 5, 2012 7:50 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions